I first started fishing with a dropper in the early 1980s on the Upper Tweed in Autumn. That was with a two inch copper tube on the tail and a regular salmon fly on the dropper. I managed to catch a couple of small salmon on the dropper but stopped using this set up for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the longer leader required for the dropper was more prone to tangling in casting, particularly with a weighted tube on the tail. Secondly, the dropper on the sunk line created an additional snagging risk. To this day I don't use droppers on sinking lines for these reasons. However, I would be genuinely fascinated if there was someone on here who consciously does fish with a dropper on a sunk line.
Conversley, I have extensive experience of fishing with two flies for salmon when using a floating line. To the OP, if you are choosing to fish with more than one fly you should consider why you want to do so against the increased risks that using more than one fly creates which are principally:
- Introducing leader weakness via the dropper knot itself if you don't use leader rings, particulalry with Flurocarbon
- Catching the dropper fly on the line when excercising a tight loop on the forward cast
- A double hook-up
- Snagging the dropper or tail when you've hooked a salmon (although I have previously argued this is a small risk in reality)
I would argue that the benefits of droppers, when approrpiate, far outweigh these risks. I've caught hundreds of salmon on multi-fly casts. Would I have caught the same number using a single fly? Obviously I don't know. What I do know is that I could not have replicated the presentations I was using when the salmon took if I was using a single fly.
These are the situations where I have found a dropper to be of great use. However, each requires a different leader set up, leader material, type of fly and tactical approach:
- Standard River Wet Fly Fishing
- Czech Nymphing
- Muddler/Wake Fly Fishing
- Dibbling
- Wet Fly in Lochs
- Dapping
There is another form of dropper use I am aware of but have not tried, which is to attach a wet fly to the hook of a hitch fly New Zealand Style. I have done this for trout but not salmon. Again if anyone on here has first hand knowledge of this I'd be fascinated to read about your experiences.
1. Standard River Wet Fly Fishing
I've written about this before. If you are interested you can see it in this thread:
[QUOTE="Loxie, post: 779983, member: 18366"] Downside, I've hooked two salmon at once QUOTE] wish I had that problem!!!:p
www.salmonfishingforum.com
2. Czech Nymphing
This really needs a thread of its own. The dropper is where you load the weight. I have a box of flies (see below) which I can build with the aid of tungsten beads and cones to match the needs of the pool I'm fishing. Most fish take the tail which is deliberately as light as possible and fluters above and behind the weighted fly on the dropper. I use a 15' rod, 12' Tappered Fluro carbon leader, 2mm leader ring and 2-3' of tail section.
3. Muddler/Wake Fly Fishing
This is a Highland and Island tactic that should be used more often on lowland rivers e.g. big Dubbs on the Tay and Tweed. I use a standard Muddler L/S 8 on the dropper and a blue, black and silver on the tail or a cascade usually a size ten. Single handed rod, leader made of brown Maxima 8lbs 6' to dropper and 4' to the tail. You do need the wind but I had a couple of great days in July this year on the Halladale stripping muddlers through the waves.
One on the Muddler from Smigel
4. Dibbling
As I've previously mentioned there was an excellent article in T&S by Gordon Simm on this with detailed instructions on leader set up flys, tactics etc. For those not quite sure what is meant by Dibbling here is an example.
5 Wet Fly on Lochs
One of the best exponents of this for salmon is Stan Headley both from boat and shore. He likes a three fly set up on a 14' leader. Personally, I just use 2 and typically on Maxima rather than flurocarbon. I like a slightly longer leader of 12'. 8lbs from line to dropper and then 6lbs to the tail on lochs rather than the 10' I use with muddlers on rivers. However, that is partly becasue I might also be seeking sea trout. I don't bother with leader rings when using Maxima and I use a four turn water knott for the dropper. In this instance the point of the dropper, as with the Muddler on river, is to create a wake. Interestingly I find while you need to fish the Muddler as fast as possible on a river, salmon seem to prefer a much slower retreive in a loch.
Salmon on a Muddler from Loch 1 on Grimersta
6. Dapping
When I first started dapping for salmon on the Scourie Lochs, Stack and Moore decades ago we tended to use a single large Loch Ordie or similar. However, as the years went on we started to use a smaller dapping fly on the dropper and a 3' tail with a flashy wet fly. This offered the fish a choice and also helped anchor the dapping fly. Again, I simply use Maxima for this form of fishing. Of all the techniques I've referred to, this is the one I have done least of in the last couple of decades.
Regards
NHP
P.S SnapT14 I realise my previous response to you on this thread came across as rather kurt which was not my intention; all haste and no speed.
Two flies does NOT catch me any more fish though lol
